Shelly-Ann Thompson, Staff Reporter

Tufton and Rickards

The spiralling price of fertiliser, one of the main requirements for farming, has caused woe for many local farmers, more so during the past six months.

Against this background, some fertiliser buyers are disappointed that Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton did not announce a final agreement on accessing the commodity at a cheaper price during his contribution to the 2008-2009 Budget Debate in the House of Represen-tatives this week.

On Wednesday, Tufton reiterated that the Government has spent $100 million to subsidise fertiliser prices and that subsequent talks would continue with fertiliser manufacturers in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

"In the case of Venezuela, they have said they will give us a discount on Urea (a material used to make fertiliser), and we are working out the details with Newport Fersan," Tufton had said.

Securing better prices

The minister added: "The Government is also in discussions with a manufacturer of Potash, another important raw material, with a view to securing better prices".

Allan Rickards, chairman of the All-Island Jamaica Cane Farmers' Association, said he was surprised that the minister did not announce that a cheaper blend of fertiliser would be imported from India.

"We haven't said it because we hoped he would have said it (during his presentation)," said Rickards.

Expected in May

The first batch of fertiliser from India is expected to arrive in the country by mid-May and will be facilitated through Jamaica Cane Product Sales, he claimed.

Rickards said these particular blends of fertiliser would be approximately 50 per cent cheaper than the commodity currently on the local market.

Sourced specifically for the sugar cane industry, the fertilisers would also be applicable for some types of domestic crops.

John Allen, managing director of Newport Fersan in Jamaica, said he expected to hear more from Tufton regarding the outcome of the discussions, which have been ongoing for more than two months.

"His presentation with regards to fertiliser didn't allow me to get an understanding of what was achieved from the discussions," said Allen.

Since January, there has been an increase of about 30 per cent on the cost of fertiliser. Over the past six months, there has been a 40 to 50 per cent spike in the cost of raw material for the farming ingredient.

shelly-ann.thompson@gleanerjm.com